Hostess Cupcakes

These decadent and delicious copycat Hostess cupcakes are better than the box! They’re easy to make and adorable too!

Is there a more iconic chocolate cupcake than the Hostess cupcake? I think not! I genuinely love them, and we buy them from time to time, but there’s something so much better about a homemade chocolate cupcake. My version of Hostess cupcakes has moist, perfectly chocolatey cake, with a light and fluffy cream filling, a silky and decadent ganache, and a sweet little flourish of icing. They’re beautiful, delicious, and fun to make too!

I used to make these pretty frequently, years ago, but it had been a while since I made a batch. I needed an extra special birthday treat to bring to a friend, and these cupcakes came to mind. They were just as delicious as I remembered them! I’ve changed my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe since the first time I made these, so I’m sharing the updated recipe below. As much as I love my perfect chocolate cupcakes recipe, the recipe below yields cupcakes that are even more moist and tender, with a richer chocolate flavor. I’m sold!

The cream filling has a pretty unique method and list of ingredients, but trust me – it’s perfect! It’s so light and fluffy, not overly sweet, pipes into the cupcakes perfectly, and tastes amazing. To add space for the filling, you can use a cupcake corer or a melon baller, but I usually just use a paring knife. I cut a little cone shaped section out of the middle of the cupcake, cut off the extra cake, fill the cupcake, and replace the cap. (Sally’s Baking has a great visual guide if you’re confused!) Once they’re filled, you’ll top them with ganache, let them set, then pipe icing on top. These hostess cupcakes could not be more adorable!

Hostess Cupcakes

Print Recipe

Prep Time:1 hour hr

Cook Time:22 minutes mins

Total Time:1 hour hr 22 minutes mins

Ingredients

for the cupcakes:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water

for the filling:

• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the ganache:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• pinch of salt

for the icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons milk

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350. Line two muffin tins with paper liners.
• To make the cupcakes, in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, until blended. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Pour the boiling water into the cake batter and mix gently until blended in.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when touched lightly on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then move to a cooling rack and cool completely.
• While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the filling, ganache, and icing. To make the filling, In a small sauce pan over medium heat, whisk together the flour and the milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring continuously, until it starts to thicken. Continue to cook the paste until you can start to see the bottom of the pan when you scrape a spatula across it. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until cooled completely.
• In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar together until well combined and fluffy. While the mixer is running, add in the flour mixture and the vanilla. Beat to combine and then scrape down the sides. Continue beating until mixture comes together and is light and fluffy (about 7-8 minutes).
• To make the ganache, pour the chocolate chips into a small bowl and add the heavy cream to a 2 cup measuring cup. Microwave for one minute on high, until the cream is boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for 1-2 minutes. Mix until all of the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth. Stir in the salt.
• To make the icing, add the powdered sugar to a small bowl. Whisk in milk until the icing has a consistency that can be easily piped while still retaining its shape.
• When the cupcakes have cooled completely, cut a small circle in the center of the top of each cooled cupcake (I used a paring knife, but you could also use an apple corer or melon baller). Fill each cupcake with a small amount of the cream filling, then replace the top.. Spread ganache evenly over the surface of each cupcake. Let the ganache set, and then pipe designs on the top using the icing.

Servings: 24